I used to like to hide in our closets when I was a kid. Now my closets are a place where I hide my past...
Clothes and More Clothes
Besides all of the boxes and books all around our house, my wife and I have a whole lot of clothes. We each have clothes in three big closets. Since my wife works and likes to have a lot of different outfits, she has a good excuse for having a lot of clothes. My collection of clothes goes back many years. The last time I bought any clothes was last year I think, but I don't buy many clothes. For one thing, I don't like shopping for clothes.
However, I am a sucker for a good sale if I happen to be in a store and see clearance items. My limit on a shirt is $5--unless it's really special. When they go below $5 then I might buy a lot of them. That's likely why I have so many shirts.
Periodically my wife and I will scour the closets for stuff to donate to Goodwill. Her donations are bigger than mine because she cycles through clothes faster than I do. Sometimes I'll comment on what I think is a new item of clothing I see my wife wearing and she will say it's something she's had for years. She really does have a lot of clothes. Too many for me to keep track of.
What happened was that after our four girls moved out we had bedrooms to turn into offices for ourselves and ended up with three extra closets. It seems having the extra space meant we could accumulate more clothes and hang on to more of the older ones. And so we did. My wife will likely buy more clothes--she likes to shop. It might be awhile before I buy anymore clothes. Maybe never.
That is unless I run across some really cool three or four dollar shirts at someplace like Walmart. I'm a sucker for those cheap--er, inexpensive shirts. And there is still space in my part of the closets.
Do you like to shop for clothes? What are the oldest items of your own clothing that you still have? Have you found that when you have more space, you accumulate more goods?
What a great theme! Good advice for all of us. Thank you so much for creating this challenge. I really enjoy it! Are there really only 697 this year? Back to your post. I have some items I have had for almost 30 years. Silk & wool last forever...I am fortunate that I have not changed much in size over the years. Proud to say. I worked at Marshall Fields in Chicago right out of college, shopping was my life. Now not so much. Online is so easy but dangerous. Yup space begets more stuff. I work very hard to declutter often.
ReplyDeleteLinda, I don't know if the Master List is totally accurate in gauging participation since some people us FaceBook and other means of promoting their blogs. Past 100 I can't keep up and 100 is kind of difficult for me to manage.
DeleteMy size has made a few changes over the years. My body has been downsizing as well so those older smaller clothes might come in handy again.
Lee
Great theme! I often get stuck on the clothes because you never know when you might suddenly need a shoulder-padded, long black dress!!
ReplyDeleteIt's almost time to shift from winter to summer clothes, which is a good time to discard...
Beth
https://bethlapinsatozblog.wordpress.com/2018/04/03/class/
Beth, I can't remember when the last time was that I was looking for a shoulder-padded long black dress. Oh, wait--it was a New Year's Eve party sometime in the mid-eighties. They said it was a costume party but nobody else seemed to be participating.
DeleteMy wife is on vacation this week so maybe we can do some discarding together and make a Goodwill run.
Lee
Not a fan of clothes shopping. I do have a lot I don't wear and my wife is always bugging me to get rid of some. However, my closet full of t-shirts will not be cleaned out anytime soon. I have concert t-shirts that are almost forty years old!
ReplyDeleteAlex, I wore T-shirts constantly during the seventies and eighties and any souvenir shirts I had have long worn out or disappeared. Now I have Old Navy July 4th T-shirts for every year going back to 1998.
DeleteLee
I despise shopping for clothes with every fiber of their polyester weave! I have a unique style that is difficult to satisfy and so my side of our gland closet looks ridiculously sparse, and I still have clothes I wore when I was 16. Most of my favorite outfits have recently been growing small holes in them which saddens me yes, but more is a growing concern for my ability to replace them when things get desperate.
ReplyDeleteShopgirl, your name had me thinking otherwise. I like getting clothes as presents but that doesn't happen often. My mother's gone, but my wife still buys me something now and then.
DeleteLee
I love retail from the receiving end of the register. ;)
DeleteYeah, that's where I'd prefer to be as well. Unless I had so much money that spending it didn't matter, then I'd love to go shopping.
DeleteLee
It's the people...the chaotic movements of people that keep me from shopping. The register stands as a barrier protecting me from them. ;)
DeleteI do like nice clothes but I wouldn't say I have a lot of them. I'm due a clear out of my closet really and then I could maybe get a few new ones. Like you though I am a bit of a sucker for a bargain rail!
ReplyDeleteSuzanne, Bargains are the best--and most practical!
DeleteLee
There was a time when my closet was pretty bare. I don't mind shopping too much, but it hurts to give away a lot of hard earned money for clothes. I do most of my shopping in thrift stores now, and my favorite store is just a few blocks away. I also have a lot of "hand me downs" in my closet from my sister and my dear mother's closet after she passed. I'm afraid I'm due for another closet cleanse myself.
ReplyDeletehttp://marcyhowes.blogspot.com/
Marcy, I've always been a tightwad buying myself clothes. I used to spend a lot on my daughters' clothes when they were young and I had fun shopping for them.
DeleteLee
Not sure why I never toss coats. I have a vintage black raincoat that I have worn for at least 25 years. And a really good winter jacket that is at least 20 years old. Only now the threads seem to be giving way, so a hem here and a replaced button there, and I'm good to go. Any time I try to shop for a new one, the sticker shock sends me back to my old reliables.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, I have several coats as well that are rarely worn since I live in Los Angeles and I never feel the need. I'm stocked in case I ever move to a colder clime.
DeleteLee
In general, I hate clothes shopping, but for some reason, I like shopping at secondhand stores, like Goodwill. I find the most interesting things there. Maybe I just like the scavenger hunt!
ReplyDeleteDoree Weller
Doree, my wife refuses to buy at thrift shops so I never go except to donate stuff. My youngest daughter, now 29, used to shop at thrift stores when she was in high school and after so I guess she still does.
DeleteLee
We downsized some years ago and while not short on clothes space there is much less space then before. But It'a amazing what a gal can pack into limited space. Finding things not worn for years is a treat ... but yes, I do clear out every now and again and donate.
ReplyDeleteI've HAD to get rid of much loved very old clothes in the past because they were really old, but really no good for man or beast. Great post Arlee thanks. No I don't like shopping for clothes.
Susan Scott, I hate it when my clothes get so comfy that I know it's getting near time to toss them out. Shoes too.
DeleteLee
I cull our closet every month or so. It is the only way to control the avalanche that frequently occurred when I was teaching.
ReplyDeleteSusan Kane, so you know something about the teacher's need for a good wardrobe. At my wife's school this year the principal gave out special tee shirts for certain days so the teachers don't have so much of a wardrobe concern. My wife likes the idea and I think it's pretty cool.
DeleteStill, it's not like when I was a kid when the men teachers wore suits and ties and the women long dresses. I think things have changed some.
Lee
I hate clothes shopping. I will generally buy two pairs of jeans a year from Omar the Tentmaker and wear them until Mary tells me to buy new ones. I can do all my shopping online, which makes it practically painless.
ReplyDeleteAround here there are several organizations that collect used clothing donations: the Paralyzed Veterans, Retarded Citizens, and the Kidney Fund. They call several times a year, and we just gather up whatever old clothes we want to dispose of and leave them on the front porch. They collect them and leave a receipt. Easy peasy.
John, I've found that staying home most of the time like I do these days, I wear sweats and don't have much to worry about with clothes.
DeleteLee
Hi Lee!
ReplyDeleteI am not a shopper. Or, perhaps what I mean is that I do not browse. I go in, get what I went for, and get out.
At least your girls took and kept their stuff with them. My daughter keeps bringing boxes of things she "can't part with" back to my house for "safe storage".
I find it less stressful to fill up bags I can't see through before the donation truck arrives. That way I can honestly say I don't know what happened to whatever someone suddenly misses ;-)
Diedre, that's how I prefer to do it--go in with a specific purpose and hopefully achieve my mission successfully.
DeleteThere are probably a few more remnants of my daughters' lives here still, but I gather those up and take them on my next visit. Not easy for them to bring boxes to our house unless they were moving to California again.
Lee
I think the oldest piece of clothing I have (other than my wedding dress) is one of my oldest son's baseball t-shirts from high school.
ReplyDeleteI cleaned out my closet recently -- to pare down to what I actually wear. Now it's almost empty. Time to go shopping.
Thea, I have a parka and a tuxedo that are probably 40 years old or more, but that's likely it. I think I've taken all my kids' old clothes to them, but who knows.
DeleteLee
I used to garage sale-buy shirts your method. Ended up with a lot of shirts I really didn't wear- and they began to smell like it! I keep a lean, mean active "closet" and a bunch of standby stuff that I prolly don't fit in anymore. When it gets annoying, there's a Salvation Army box a 1 minute slow stroll from my door...
ReplyDeleteCW, believe me my shirts have gotten their wear and eventual tear. Most of them are holding up well since I have so many to rotate.
DeleteLee
Its better to donate these clothes before they are of no use to anyone else too. I love clothes and love loaded closets as well, but after watching a documentary about harmful effects on environment with respect of clothes, I am trying hard to suppress my urge to buy too much.
ReplyDeleteShesha, I'd be interested in seeing that documentary. I've never heard about clothes causing environmental damage, but I think I could guess some of the things.
DeleteLee
I hate shopping for clothes and I will wear them till they are literally tattered. I really don't care about my appearance to be honest.
ReplyDeleteJoJo, you are funny. But also very creative.
DeleteLee
Clothes...I love fashion, but I can’t, won’t and don’t spend a ton on clothes. I used to have many fancy dresses but I gained weight and finally let them go a couple years back. I have quite a bit because I work but that will change when I retire. My oldest is actually my dad’s coat..a typical Canadian lumberjacket that my hubby wears now. I don’t mind looking for clothes but I have to be in the mood which I am often not plus I don’t like trying on clothes when I can see my blchhh body in the mirrors plus I am in pain. The pain is what gets to me more than anything.
ReplyDeleteBirgit, trying on clothes is something I hate. I buy by size and hope it's accurate. It usually is.
DeleteLee
LOL I think the oldest thing I have in my closet at this moment is my wedding dress, 34 years. The rest of the clothes (and there is quite a bit) have definitely been recycled since I've gained and lost weight several times. I like shopping when I'm thin, not so much when I'm heavy.
ReplyDeleteJanet
Janet’s Smiles
Janet, my second wife used to have her mother's wedding dress--in fact she wore it for our wedding. She might still have it which means it would be about 60 years old.
DeleteLee
"Have you found that when you have more space, you accumulate more goods?" Yep. You know that other Newton's Law, right? If you empty it they will come? I'm still wearing jeans and t's I bought ten years ago. I'm real low maintenance when it comes to clothing.
ReplyDeleteCalensariel, yeah, I think it must be like some kind of law of physics. Mass will fill a vacuum or something.
DeleteLee
I absolutely despise shopping. I think I must be the only girl (I might be way too old to call myself a girl, so, I'm probably the only woman) who hates clothes shopping, but I love owning clothes ... and lots of them. I buy on line or I will run into a store and grab something, but I refuse to try on. There was a time, when I was tiny and everything always fit and I wore the same size in every brand so this wasn't a problem. Doesn't work out so much anymore and I'm terrible at taking things back, So, I not only have closets filled with clothes I love and wear, I have a bunch of crap that doesn't fit and will hopefully fit one of my daughters. If I find a pair of jeans that have that perfect fit, I'll buy a few pair ... same with cut off jean shorts and comfy T-shirts, like organic bamboo cotton. You know like lounge wear. I have a pair of jeans from college with rips and holes and patches and all kinds of emblems that I've held onto for so long, I'd cry if I lost them.
ReplyDeleteMelissa @Sugar Crime Scene
Melissa, I'm surprised at all the females so far in their comments who said they didn't like clothes shopping. I hate returning stuff too, but my wife seems to kind of like returning stuff so if I had to I'd let her return my stuff if I ever got anything that I really couldn't use or didn't want.
DeleteLee
Hi Lee,
ReplyDeleteI don't much care for shopping - only do it if I have to. That said, I enjoy going with others to shop for them.
As to the oldest item - it's a dress I made for my wedding - the going away dress - it's still there, reminding me of a lifetime ago. Good memories, so that's a good thing. :)
Cheers, Jenny at Pearson Report
Jenny, I have a few "good memory" clothing items that I keep, but I doubt that I'll ever wear.
DeleteLee
Clothes is certainly a clutter, how right you are Lee. Good "C" word.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
Yvonne, anything we have a lot of can likely be considered clutter. Especially when it's more than we need.
DeleteLee
Our closets have always been filled with boxes of "to have laters" more than clothes. I've been trying to go for a more minimalist approach lately to get some of those "laters" turned into "goodbyes."
ReplyDeleteJessica at Visions of Other Worlds
Jessica, sometimes we forget about "later" when it comes and those items end up being "too late" when that time passes.
DeleteLee
Arlee, double check the material tag of the shirt you're wearing. Cotton is cool, but if it says "double knit," you might want to get rid of it. If it says "triple knit," you might still be asleep on the couch at the disco back in the 70's!
ReplyDeleteZulu, that's funny. Sometimes I wish I could go back to the 70's.
DeleteLee
I have a lot of clothes and wear pretty much all of them just not all at the same time
ReplyDeleteJo-Anne's, I try to have a wearing cycle, but there are some that I favor over others.
DeleteLee
Hubby and I are so different on this topic. He wants to spend the $$ and have a few high quality things. I'd rather go the cheap route and have lots of choices. LOL!
ReplyDeleteDonna B. McNicol|Author and Traveler
A to Z Flash Fiction Stories|A to Z of Goldendoodles
Donna, I want the nicest things I can find for the least amount of money. I don't like to splurge on clothes that will eventually wear out.
DeleteLee
Yes the closet is always my go to place when I'm looking to find a place to hide that one things I"m not parting with at the moment... just shove it in somewhere and when I clean the closet, I'll think about letting it go. When was the last time I cleaned that closet?? I don't know either. My husband took his clothes out years ago... and prob most all hanging in there I hardly even wear. I'm still a jeans and shirt girl wherever I go. The oldest thing I have... a long hippie dress from prob. 1970... rolled up in a drawer in the cellar. LOL
ReplyDeleteJeanne, I think my old hippie clothes are all gone other than an embroided denim shirt that likely is kind of tight on me. I'll keep it until it fits maybe.
DeleteLee
Lee,
ReplyDeleteDo you like to shop for clothes?I don't like shopping for myself. I usually leave that job to DH. This is something he enjoys. I used to like buying for my children when they were at home but now that they are gone I don't buy clothes for them unless they ask for something specific. I still shop for DH but he has a lot of clothes which we've gotten over the years when things go on sale. When we find something we like, we tend to stick with it and we try to make sure we have some spares on hand because clothing doesn't last forever.
Other than my Wedding Dress and shoes which right at the moment are in storage at my late in-laws' home, I have lots of really nice things going back to 2000. Not working outside the home allows my clothes to last longer so that's a huge plus but like I said when we find something we like we tend to buy 2 or 3. DH is horribly bad for doing this or so I once thought which actually turned out to be a good thing because we can't find much that looks good now days for me. I need to make a slight correction, I just remembered I have a couple of dresses from the mid-80s and although it isn't mine, I have a dress that my late MIL wore as a young woman. Our oldest liked playing dress up in it. :)
Have you found that when you have more space, you accumulate more goods? Oh, yes that's what to us to when the kids moved out. We kept adding and now we're out of free space. It's time to move but where? I don't know. We are very picky in what our next house will be laid out and it's not going to be an easy job.
Thanks for hosting the A2Z fun, my friend!
Curious as a Cathy
A2Z iPad Art Sketch ‘Coffee Cup’
Cathy, I thought it was kind of fun to shop for my kids, but good parents probably mostly see it that way. If/when we move, I hope to be vastly downsized and organized so that moving to a somewhat smaller house will be easier.
DeleteLee
So your theme is things I have too much up? I didn't know you knew me so well. Yes, I tend to accumulate a lot of shirts (and books) much to my wife's chagrin.
ReplyDeleteMike, I think what I think I have too much of are a lot of the same things we all have a lot of. I figure as long as I've worn a shirt at least once then it's worth keeping for another year.
DeleteLee
My husband loves to shop at thrift stores, and he finds quality stuff there, because he's willing to spend FOREVER looking through it. Designer label dress shirts, some brand new, expensive ties, etc. Unfortunately, he buys them even if they are a little small for him, because they are such a good deal and he's going to diet into them. And he hasn't and they sit in plastic tubs in our basement and extra closets and he doesn't know this, but he's getting rid of them this summer....
ReplyDeleteDyanne, I've never bought any clothes at thrift stores and I don't even like to mess with the places like Ross. I want to go in quickly where I can find what I'm looking for and then just get out. I don't like shopping for clothes.
DeleteLee